Prosperity, Modern Life, and Hurricanes 1940 to 1988 in Plaquemines Parish Written by: William Richard Stringfield Submitted by: Darnell Marie Brunner Beck Copyrighted material from Mr Stringfiled's book "Le Pays des Fluers Oranges" ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** The 1940's saw the people of Plaquemines Parish finding out the news more quickly than ever. Newspapers and radios, along with our own travelers, were the primary sources of this Information, but trade helped us have vested interests. The residents began to realize how our area economically affected the world more than as a transportation route, especially as new resources were being developed. The vessels to get local produce to market were no longer just personal boats or packets. The railroad now had tanker cars as a larger and larger percentage of the freight cars, especially in the upper end. Full-sized ships were now hauling sulfur or oil from our terminals to other cities where the products would be refined, or made into industrial chemicals. The American War machine needed these products to help fight the tyrannical regimes, which had began to dominate World politics under the alliance known as AXIS. The developing oilfields or sulfur mines needed workers, and the increase in. workers initially brought in several dozen families whose head was a worker skilled in some of the services these two new industries needed. A large transient population soon developed, as the many wells drilled were dependant on a steady source of men as the number of jobs increased daily as the 1940's progressed from wartime economy to peacetime boomtowns. Local politics was somewhat stable, although local politicians did not always agree with superior levels in how things should be run. The Police Jury controlled local affairs, with other elected offices being a local judge, Sheriff, Assessor, District Attorney(shared with neighboring St Bernard Parish), and Clerk of Court. Each ward had a justice of the peace, and constable, who handled many day to day duties of necessary government- personal interactions. The parish wide officials were similar to duchies, in that often the successor of a previous long term official would be a younger relative. The Assessor's office was passed from father to son, with only a short interlude of other officeholders, followed with a nephew succeeding. The Clerk of Court was succeeded by his son. The political intrigues of replacing a popular sheriff caused the "political machine" to become firmly established, Instead of just alluded to in print. The power group in control labeled the opposition "Anti's" The governor tried to appoint one successor to sheriff when another person holding that office died. The next sheriff to hold office a noticeable length of time was nephew of the popular sheriff, and a nephew of that initial sheriff's wife was his successor(and nephew by marriage another way of the most notable officeholder during the interim). The next sheriff was the son of the first nephew to be sheriff. The office of district attorney was where the power was realized to be strongest, and that officeholder placed his' son on its "throne" when he decided to retire from the officeholder position. He still held influence in controlling much of the political life for the remainder of his life. The powers of the machine were not easily felt until the 1930's when public improvements were beginning to blossom astronomically. The roadway that was developed in the 1920's and levee work or changes were seen as initial ways that being on the wrong side of the legal powers could affect the residents. Placing a roadway in proximity to one's home, or lack of rear levee could affect the crops' prospects. Future public improvements would be rather selective on their scope, with some communities given them early for helping the political machine, while others were punished for years of "resistance" or less than guaranteed support. Mosquito patrol was tried fairly early in Plaquemines Parish, but not until the entire southeast portion of Louisiana was plagued by them in September 1963. The next year, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Orleans Parishes as well as others in southeast Louisiana began to have official departments with noticeable numbers of workers, trying to eradicate the pests, especially those who could carry the worst diseases like malaria or yellow fever. The local topography would allow plagues of other small creatures when an imbalance in predators or food would allow it. Some of these other insects were black grasshoppers, red or fire ants(a new pest, arrived soon after it was first noticed in the United States in 1902), fleas, crickets, or some form of caterpillar. "Tree" roaches were always a nuisance also, although ways were available to minimize their impact indoors. A state program to eradicate ticks in cattle in the 1930's had its extra benefit of minimizing it in other animals also. Fleas would still be a plague of periodical proportions. The closeness of water in the area had some excesses of crustaceans: fiddler crabs were a common summer sight in the morning with the dew; crawfish would swell into enormous numbers in the fresh water ponds each spring, and blue crabs and shrimp were still caught easily in any brackish water in their better seasons, even if that brackish water was one's own yard ditches. Louisiana gardeners had earned a reputation that few plants would not grow in our climate. As the communities grew, garden clubs also evolved. The pride of the local families in the famed Easter lilies had many who didn't have citrus involved in the propagation of that lovely white Lilly until a blight caused many to give it up. The community of Port Eads, which was slowly abandoned after the jetty projects were no longer a daily maintenance task, was a source of many oleanders, as it had several huge stands on the river side of its boardwalks A few other shrubs or bulbs were passed among family members as they began to increase the habitations. Among these were fig cuttings. Many figs in the yard were a cutting from a relative's tree, a tradition for many generations. Some traditions continue in southern Louisiana, such as scarecrows in the yards in October, and cleaning the cemeteries for All Saints Day. Some Plaquemines Cemeteries were for small families, others were established by a Catholic or other church, and expanded with the community. The school system of Plaquemines which once numbered over thirty schools in the 1880's, about an equal number for blacks and whites when separate and equal were probably that, as few of these buildings had more than one full sized room, and hardly any had more than one full time teacher. The 1930's had Plaquemines Parish organized into four communities for white high school, and five white primary school districts, although a few one room schools existed until the 1960's. Consolidated black high school districts numbered three by the early 1950's. Some disparities existed in quality of structures, with more Over crowding experienced in the black schools, but all students went to relatively new buildings by 1960. The black schools participated in a rivalry among their neighbors similar to what the white schools experienced. The changes of the 1960's brought about a court mandated change in the composition of the school districts to where just five school districts remained. One or two satellite schools were periodically maintained for first to sixth grades until the 1980's. By 1960, two communities were classified as "urban places" in Plaquemines Parish: Buras-Triumph, and Port Sulphur. They have not become large places, just small towns were achieving numbers of people in quantities where urban problems are also faced equally as other day to day occurrences. Buras- Triumph had over 5,000 in 1%0, but due to hurricanes in 1965 and 1969, never reached much more in total population of its core all Port Sulphur was first numbered as about 2,850 when classified as an urban place, but has not topped 3,500 by 1995. The Belle Chasse community, only about 2,000 in 1960, and still not over 3,000 in 1970, had over 8,500 in 1980, and about 9,000 in 1990. It helped to redefine Plaquemines Parish as suburban by 1985. Housing patterns in Plaquemines Parish have reflected some of the primary economic forces in the area. The large cypress stands were no longer around by the late 1800's, so timbers were hauled from other areas, and houses built to plans other than the bully looking cottage were begun, with front and side galleries, and longer and narrower in design. By the 1930's the newer homes were built to "company standards" as an oilfield camp was often the new home. The 1950's saw a huge building boom, with small ranch style homes being the norm. The hurricanes were a big challenge. After the first, many felt it would not affect them again, since the last severe hurricane was fifty years earlier. These folks built grander than before, although not always with sturdier materials, or strengthening the former home in the grand redecorating. The second cost dearly, and many were burned by lack of adequate insurance. Those still brave enough to return to Buras, Boothville and Venice after Hurricane Camille in 1969 were more frugal in housing. Either build STRONG, or have a relatively cheap home with few dear furnishings. Mobile homes, once only popular in the "transient" crowd of semi-permanent residents, soon became a popular form of residence to the landowner. Landowners were formerly told that "trailers" were not exempt from homestead exemption, but when the land and home owner were the same person or persons, then the mobile home could be made into an immovable for tax purposes. Some newer mobile homes were ordered as pre-built homes with specific "house" features, such as wood-burning fireplaces, spas, or spacious rooms, especially those of "double-wide" designs. Tourism has seasons of sort, since the months when fresh produce are most plentiful are among the peak periods for that type of activity. The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival celebrates as much of Plaquemines Parish's variety of industry and agricultural diversity as possible in one weekend. This is usually the first lull weekend of December, and is held at Fort Jackson, Louisiana since it was refurbished in the late 1960's Before then, it was held in Buras, on the High School Grounds and neighboring buildings. The festival dates to 1947, and coincides with the peak weeks of navel orange harvest, and citrus in general. A few earlier harvesting crops, such as satsumas, are almost over with, especially if an early frost hits. A specialty product from the citrus, the wine, gained great popularity in New Orleans during Prohibition, and was almost legal, as an individual could legally put up many gallons, but if he didn't drink all of it, could give to "relatives." Several families of recent immigrants continued to produce wine after Prohibition, and one brand sold well on a localized level until recent years. A fresh stock from local produce is almost always available, although not as commercial as once before. Severe freezes that devastated the citrus industry were not felt from before 1900 until 1952. Over two-thirds of the trees were lost in one week. Some farmers decided to choose truck farming with seasonal vegetables, but many replanted their groves. A severe freeze struck in 1962, and citrus at that time needed about five years to "mature", and at least two before a "crop" was realized. Three weeks of standing water in 1965 from Hurricane Betsy, weakened many citrus, if not "drowning" trees outright, since few were large. The 1969 Hurricane Camille did not affect all citrus areas, but damaged many young trees by tearing at the bark with the severe winds. Killing freezes were also experienced in 1982, 1983, and 1989. Newer irrigation methods quickly increase the size of the tree from year old grafting to ten foot high tree in about half the time. Many church and school groups have neighborhood fairs or festivals on weekends in a variety of months almost throughout the year. No one theme has yet to predominate, save the Empire-South Pass Tarpon Rodeo, a perennial favorite, which moved from Empire as its base to the Buras Boat Harbor by the middle 1980's, always held in the middle weekend of August. The sports and commercial fishermen still continue to harvest an enormous bounty from the waters surrounding the communities.